Lodi Unified sports groups get $2K

Tuesday

Dec 4, 2012 at 12:01 AM

LODI - It's a minuscule amount of money when stacked up against Lodi Unified's $200 million budget, but the $2,000 that has been distributed to five athletic groups is a historical moment for the district.

Keith Reid

LODI - It's a minuscule amount of money when stacked up against Lodi Unified's $200 million budget, but the $2,000 that has been distributed to five athletic groups is a historical moment for the district.

The Lodi Unified Giving Opportunities to Kids Foundation, which is still getting onto its feet, has cut checks totaling $2,000, marking its first official distribution as a nonprofit corporation this week. Known as GOT Kids, the foundation was formed to help local schools a year ago, and after one successful fundraiser, children in the district are now seeing the benefits.

"We still need to make a lot more money, but this is part of what we want to do," GOT Kids board member Gary Knacksted said.

The first donations are part of nearly $40,000 GOT Kids earned in selling fireworks over the Fourth of July weekend in Lodi. Foundation leaders said members of the clubs receiving distribution checks made an effort to aid the fundraiser in one way or another. The awards were:

» Tokay High athletics, $500

» McNair High athletics, $500

» Lodi Water Polo Foundation, $500

» Lodi High basketball, $250

» Lodi City Swim Club, $250

The clubs will be able to use the money to pay for tournament fees, transportation costs or other needs, officials said.

Foundation members met Monday to discuss future fundraising opportunities, a 90-minute session where ideas were exchanged and some frustrations were expressed on how to raise funds since the community hasn't seen what GOT Kids spends money on.

An anti-bully presentation is being planned to start showcasing the program to potential donors.

"I'm now telling people that I'm raising money for an anti-bully assembly, and I have not gotten a no," said foundation board member Steve Diede of Diede Construction. "We need to show people what we're doing to sell them on it."

Other fundraising ideas include a 5K race or triathlon, a talent show with corporate sponsors and a program to allow district employees to donate small amounts every month through payroll deductions.

GOT Kids was started in 2011 as a way for Lodi Unified to start supplementing its dwindling budget and aid programs in the district that have seen decreased funding in recent years. The district has had to trim more than $50 million since 2008.

Lodi Unified Assistant Superintendent of Facilities and Planning Art Hand has led the foundation. He had aimed at raising $100,000 in the first year. District trustees have loftier long-term goals - as high as potentially funding the district's full $1 million athletics budget through the foundation someday.

At a regular foundation board meeting Monday, the 11-member group voted to expand its board of directors to 13 and began talks with a Web developer to build the foundation a website.

Tedder Stevensen of Tedder Media has offered to build the site, donating 50 percent of his hourly charges to the foundation, Hand said.